Development notes, updates, and behind-the-scenes stories from The Cradle and our other projects.https://games.encrypted-cat.com/enhttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-walkthrough-hints/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-walkthrough-hints/Gobliiins is brilliant and brutally hard. gobnative now has hints that follow your game: a nudge, then who does what where, then the solution, for all 22 levels.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:20:00 GMTgobnativehttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-the-pillow-bug/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-the-pillow-bug/Pick up the pillow from the wrong spot and the spiders level of Gobliiins can no longer be won. The bug has been in the game since 1991. Here's what goes wrong, and how gobnative fixes it.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:10:00 GMTgobnativehttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-game-traps/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/gobnative-game-traps/In the last level of Gobliiins, standing one step too far left makes the game impossible to finish, and the game never tells you. gobnative now spots it and says so.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMTgobnativehttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1703015-we-built-our-own-engine-for-narrative-horror-here-s-a-level-from-a-blank-page-in-60-s/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1703015-we-built-our-own-engine-for-narrative-horror-here-s-a-level-from-a-blank-page-in-60-s/Everything in that video is real: the same tools, the same buttons, the same build. A small asylum goes from an empty page to a lit, playable level with a working elevator, and notMon, 12 Oct 2026 01:26:15 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1702513-the-cradle-episode-01-desktop-builds-version-0-2-0/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1702513-the-cradle-episode-01-desktop-builds-version-0-2-0/Thank you for supporting the game. Here's the native build for Windows and for Linux and Steam Deck: the same game as the browser version (including Halloween, the new opening and Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:18:37 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1702510-halloween-comes-to-the-sanatorium/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1702510-halloween-comes-to-the-sanatorium/Until 1 November, the sanatorium is dressed for Halloween:Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:17:17 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1701701-another-streamer-played-the-cradle/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1701701-another-streamer-played-the-cradle/Yet another streamer gave The Cradle: Episode 01 a try, and the feedback was really positive! They pointed out a few things that could use some fixes and improvements, but overall,Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:08:21 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1699820-the-cradle-episode-01-a-new-opening-and-a-new-look/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1699820-the-cradle-episode-01-a-new-opening-and-a-new-look/Thanks to everyone who played and told me where they stopped. The biggest thing I heard: the start was too slow. You stood still in the lobby through a long radio briefing before aSat, 10 Oct 2026 01:01:07 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1699122-patch-2-painted-doors-toys-on-the-step-and-a-child-who-lies/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1699122-patch-2-painted-doors-toys-on-the-step-and-a-child-who-lies/The clues on the doors now arrive one level at a time, so the game starts simple and keeps surprising you:Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:43:28 GMTThe Cradle: Trick-or-Treathttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1698245-patch-1-lit-children-a-louder-way-out-and-a-proper-how-to-play/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1698245-patch-1-lit-children-a-louder-way-out-and-a-proper-how-to-play/Thank you to everyone playing The Cradle: Trick-or-Treat, and to the stream viewers who pointed these out. We watched a stream, saw three problems, and fixed all three.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:48:18 GMTThe Cradle: Trick-or-Treathttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1697718-the-cradle-trick-or-treat-is-out-free-halloween-horror-in-your-browser/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1697718-the-cradle-trick-or-treat-is-out-free-halloween-horror-in-your-browser/🎃 The Cradle: Trick-or-Treat is out. It’s free and plays right here in your browser, on PC or on your phone.Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:38:43 GMTThe Cradle: Trick-or-Treathttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1694596-rebuilding-the-nanny-work-in-progress/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1694596-rebuilding-the-nanny-work-in-progress/If you've played The Cradle - Episode 01, you've met Valya, the Nanny: the night nurse of «Ласточка». She's 2.5 metres of starved, stooped woman in a stained nurse's coat, her headTue, 06 Oct 2026 22:02:49 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1694558-the-cradle-trick-or-treat-is-coming-soon/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1694558-the-cradle-trick-or-treat-is-coming-soon/It's a small horror mini-game made just for Halloween. It's free, you play it in your browser, and it runs on phones too.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:24:13 GMTThe Cradle: Trick-or-Treathttps://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1692483-comfort-settings-a-new-look-for-the-station-and-a-lot-of-polish/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1692483-comfort-settings-a-new-look-for-the-station-and-a-lot-of-polish/A big polish update is live. Thank you to everyone who played, streamed and sent feedback - most of what's below came straight from you. Tue, 06 Oct 2026 01:13:04 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1689207-a-controller-test-full-graphics-on-steam-deck-and-a-peek-at-native-builds/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1689207-a-controller-test-full-graphics-on-steam-deck-and-a-peek-at-native-builds/An update about controllers, the Steam Deck, and something I've been experimenting with.Sat, 03 Oct 2026 22:51:26 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1687752-why-i-built-my-own-engine-for-a-one-hour-horror-game/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1687752-why-i-built-my-own-engine-for-a-one-hour-horror-game/How The Cradle's story drives the whole game, and why I built my own engine for it.Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:24:58 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1687720-play-with-a-controller-a-faster-start-and-a-new-home-on-reddit/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1687720-play-with-a-controller-a-faster-start-and-a-new-home-on-reddit/A smaller update, but one I've wanted for a while: you can now play The Cradle with a controller.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 23:55:35 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1686546-achievements-voices-off-noir-and-retro-and-a-closer-look-at-block-d/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1686546-achievements-voices-off-noir-and-retro-and-a-closer-look-at-block-d/This is a big one. Most of it is about how you experience The Cradle: hearing it, reading it, seeing it. And for the first time, there's something to hunt for. A lot of it comes stFri, 02 Oct 2026 08:11:27 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1685601-every-prop-in-the-cradle-is-now-our-own/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1685601-every-prop-in-the-cradle-is-now-our-own/Last time I showed you the asset library: 58 props, all generated in Blender by code. Today's build puts them into the game.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:25:55 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684738-we-re-replacing-every-borrowed-asset-with-our-own/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684738-we-re-replacing-every-borrowed-asset-with-our-own/A behind-the-scenes update today, about what the game is made of.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:02:13 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684300-the-big-playtest-update-new-inventory-room-signs-rebuilt-children-and-40-fixes/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684300-the-big-playtest-update-new-inventory-room-signs-rebuilt-children-and-40-fixes/This is the biggest update since launch. Everything in it comes from people playing: streamers, commenters, and my own late-night runs on every device I own. Thank you all. Here's Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:53:51 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684212-how-do-you-say-russian-stress-vs-ai-voices/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1684212-how-do-you-say-russian-stress-vs-ai-voices/Here's a small bug that bothered me more than it should have, and a fix other devs using AI voices might find useful.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:36:50 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1683515-how-to-play-the-cradle-full-screen-on-iphone/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1683515-how-to-play-the-cradle-full-screen-on-iphone/The Cradle runs on phones now. One thing iPhone players keep asking: how do I get rid of the browser bars?Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:32:34 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1682915-a-new-ending-and-how-it-came-together-light-spoilers/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1682915-a-new-ending-and-how-it-came-together-light-spoilers/Last time I promised a new cutscene for one of the endings. It's here, and it's my favourite thing in the game now.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 20:57:21 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1682630-chapter-select-three-new-children-and-a-lot-of-fixes/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1682630-chapter-select-three-new-children-and-a-lot-of-fixes/Another streamer is about to play The Cradle, so here's a round of fixes and improvements from the last few days of playtests.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:20:38 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1681243-every-voice-re-recorded-with-elevenlabs-v4-and-a-new-nanny-you-won-t-forget/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1681243-every-voice-re-recorded-with-elevenlabs-v4-and-a-new-nanny-you-won-t-forget/ElevenLabs just released their new Eleven v4 models, and I couldn't resist. I re-recorded every line of dialogue in The Cradle, all 292 lines in English and Russian, with Eleven v4Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:27:51 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1680522-update-a-scarier-phone-call-new-footsteps-and-the-sanatorium-gets-a-makeover/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1680522-update-a-scarier-phone-call-new-footsteps-and-the-sanatorium-gets-a-makeover/After the phone update I watched other people play The Cradle and wrote down everything that felt off. This update fixes almost all of it.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:56:58 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1680132-hotfix-ipad-ios-26-and-android-fixes-tested-on-every-device-i-have/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1680132-hotfix-ipad-ios-26-and-android-fixes-tested-on-every-device-i-have/Right after the phone update went out, I tested The Cradle on every device I could get my hands on and found a few problems. This hotfix fixes them.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 23:54:31 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1679985-the-cradle-now-runs-on-your-phone/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1679985-the-cradle-now-runs-on-your-phone/You can now play The Cradle on your phone. Open the itch page, tap Run game, turn the phone sideways, and you're in the sanatorium.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 21:36:10 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1678574-episode-1-update-new-voices-and-the-hero-now-speaks-with-my-voice/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1678574-episode-1-update-new-voices-and-the-hero-now-speaks-with-my-voice/The biggest thing in this update is the voices. The first version used simple text-to-speech that sounded flat and robotic. It did the job, but it was never going to scare anyone. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 22:06:44 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1678457-the-cradle-episode-1-is-out/https://games.encrypted-cat.com/devlog/1678457-the-cradle-episode-1-is-out/The Cradle is finally out, and you can play it right here in your browser. There's nothing to install.Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:25:18 GMTThe Cradle: Episode 01